Okayama Prefecture's southern reaches are a natural wonderland with mountains and the Seto Inland Sea to the south. It's well-known for its production of peaches, white Muscat grapes, and Pione grapes. Okayama Prefecture has plenty to eat, including fruit parfaits, Tsuyama Horumon Udon, and premium Chiyagyu beef. This time, we'll introduce the top three popular places to eat as chosen by FUN! JAPAN readers! Keep reading until the end to learn about the best way to travel while in Okayama Prefecture, as we introduce the convenient Setouchi Area Pass by Discover West Japan!
#3 This local, budget-friendly eatery's udon packs a punch! The hearty noodles of Tsuyama Horumon Udon
Okayama Prefecture's Tsuyama has been a main point of trade for beef for ages, which makes it no surprise that horumon udon, created with fresh beef offal, came to be known as a soul food staple of the area. The dish is made with small intestine, rumen, heart, and a mix of other random offal combined with vegetables cooked in a special sauce made with a soy sauce or miso base with a bit of spice, and can be enjoyed at over 50 different yakiniku BBQ and okonomiyaki restaurants throughout the area. The ingredients and base flavors used in the dish vary from restaurant to restaurant. Don't miss the chance to try this fusion of delicious horumon and udon!
How to Have More Fun
Hashino Shokudo, a restaurant with 120 years of history, boasts a delicious horumon udon crafted with 14 different ingredients fried up in a special, homemade miso sauce. Their version of the dish can be made with three different sauces: normal, slightly spicy, or extra spicy, and is made with a variety of horumon including small intenstine and omasum. One bowl costs 740 JPY, but order two bowls and total comes to just 840 JPY! Eat in or take out, the choice is up to you!
Hashino Shokudo
- Access: An 8-minute walk from JR Higashi-Tsuyama Station
#2 You can only eat this delectable wagyu beef at Okayama Prefecture's Chiyagyu
Chiyagyu, located in Okayama Prefecture's Niimi City, specializes in locally-raised wagyu beef of the coveted kuroge variety. Chyagyu has ties to Tsurugyu, one of Japan's most prolific and highest quality beef cattle, and also ties its roots to Japanese brands such as Matsuzaka-gyu, Kobe-gyu, and Omi-gyu. This wagyu has a delicate balance of fat and red meat, creating a marbled fat effect.
The beef cattle are raised in an open area between the mountains where they are less likely to feel environmental stress, which cultivates healthy, supple red meat marbled with fat. The meat's delicious flavor comes out in any dish, particularly yakiniku BBQ, sukiyaki, shabu-shabu, and steak.
How to Have More Fun
Because there are less than 800 heads of cattle raised a year, with hardly any sent outside the prefecture, the meat is usually referred to as the "illusive wagyu." Restaurants that carry the beef are quite limited, so if you want to enjoy some high quality wagyu of the A5 or A4 level, we suggest checking out Yakiniku Restaurant Chiyagyu. From yakiniku BBQ to steak, they have a menu that's sure to please any wagyu lover!
Farmer's Market JA Ashin Hiroba - Yakiniku Restaurant Chiyagyu
- Access: A 20-minute walk from JR Ishiga Station
#1 Don't forget to take a picture of these delectable desserts! Sweets lovers' must-eat fruit parfaits
Okayama Prefecture, situated on the temperate Seto Inland Sea, has the perfect climate for growing fruit. It's well-known as the area of production for high-quality fruit, such as white Muscat grapes and peaches. There are also plenty of restaurants where you can enjoy parfaits made with these high-quality fruits in Okayama City! If you're a sweets lover, you won't want to miss the chance to try one of the parfaits at Fruits Parfait no Machi!
Highlights and Specialties
This shop creates quality parfaits made with a variety of different fruits. After filling the glasses with strawberry puree, the parfaits are piled high with only the highest-quality fruit, such as Shine Muscat, Golden Peaches, and Pione grapes. These colorful parfaits are so cute you'll want to take a picture to remember them by!
How to Enjoy Them Even More
If you're looking to walk around and try different parfaits, rather than just sitting down at one place, we recommend getting the Okayama Mini-Parfait Tabearuki Coupon. You can choose up to two shops to visit from those participating within Okayama City. Enjoy a mini-parfait while enjoying a stroll around town. Exchange your voucher bought from one of the voucher retailers at either the Okayama Station Tourist Center (near JR Okayama Station's shinkansen gates on the 2nd floor) or Momotaro Tourist Information Center (on the basement floor Okayama Ichibangai connected to JR Okayama Station), choose two stores from the list, and head to the stores directly afterwards.
The best way to get around Okayama Prefecture - Discover West Japan's Setouchi Area Pass
There are plenty of wonderful places to visit in Okayama Prefecture, so many so that you might not be able to choose just one. If you're looking to travel with ease, the Setouchi Area Pass is your best bet! This pass offers unlimited travel via shinkansen, train, and buses (some excluded) over a 5-day period throughout Okayama Prefecture, Hiroshima Prefecture, Yamaguchi Prefecture, and other areas within Setouchi, so it's a must-have for first-time and seasoned travelers! We'll introduce the best way to use this pass in a separate article, so don't miss it!
For more information on the Setouchi Area Pass:
https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/ticket/setouchi/
Links to related articles:
Okayama Prefecture:
- The Top 3 Major Tourist Spots to Read About in 5 Minutes for Your First Okayama Trip! (For Beginners)
- The Top 3 Tourist Spots to Read About in 5 Minutes as Recommended by Okayama Experts! (For Previous Visitors)
- Check Out FUN! JAPAN's Top 3 Places to Eat in Okayama Prefecture!
Hiroshima Prefecture:
- The Top 3 Major Tourist Spots to Read About in 5 Minutes for Your First Hiroshima Trip! (For Beginners)
- The Top 3 Tourist Spots to Read About in 5 Minutes as Recommended by Hiroshima Experts! (For Previous Visitors)
- Check Out FUN! JAPAN's Top 3 Places to Eat in Hiroshima Prefecture!
Yamaguchi Prefecture:
- The Top 3 Major Tourist Spots to Read About in 5 Minutes for Your First Yamaguchi Trip! (For Beginners)
- The Top 3 Tourist Spots to Read About in 5 Minutes as Recommended by Yamaguchi Experts! (For Previous Visitors)
Okayama and Hiroshima Prefecture:
sponsored by West Japan Railway Company
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